TY - JOUR
T1 - How to hunt for hiding hosts: the reliability-detectability problem in foraging parasitoids
AU - Vet, L.E.M.
AU - Wäckers, F.L.
AU - Dicke, M.
N1 - Reporting year: 1991
Metis note: 13579;article; knaw:52
PY - 1991
Y1 - 1991
N2 - Foraging parasitoids may use stimuli that are derived from their host or from the food of their host, often plants. But how usable are 2nd and 1st trophic level stimuli and what is their relative importance in parasitoid foraging? It is argued that foraging parasitoids are facing a reliability-detectability problem: host-derived stimuli are the most reliable in indicating host presence, accessibility and suitability but they are generally hard to detect. Plant stimuli, on the other hand, are easier to detect but arc generally less reliable indicators. Parasitoids have evolved different non-exclusive strategies to solve this problem. (1) Infochemical detour: parasitoids resort to information from other, more detectable, host stages than the one under attack. (2) Herbivore-induced synomones: parasitoids use specific plant produced volatiles that are released upon damage by a specific herbivore species. In the present paper we put most emphasis on a third strategy (3) Associative learning: through associative learning parasitoids link easy-to-detect stimuli to reliable but hard-to-detect stimuli. Specific mechanisms by which associative learning can improve foraging success are discussed.
AB - Foraging parasitoids may use stimuli that are derived from their host or from the food of their host, often plants. But how usable are 2nd and 1st trophic level stimuli and what is their relative importance in parasitoid foraging? It is argued that foraging parasitoids are facing a reliability-detectability problem: host-derived stimuli are the most reliable in indicating host presence, accessibility and suitability but they are generally hard to detect. Plant stimuli, on the other hand, are easier to detect but arc generally less reliable indicators. Parasitoids have evolved different non-exclusive strategies to solve this problem. (1) Infochemical detour: parasitoids resort to information from other, more detectable, host stages than the one under attack. (2) Herbivore-induced synomones: parasitoids use specific plant produced volatiles that are released upon damage by a specific herbivore species. In the present paper we put most emphasis on a third strategy (3) Associative learning: through associative learning parasitoids link easy-to-detect stimuli to reliable but hard-to-detect stimuli. Specific mechanisms by which associative learning can improve foraging success are discussed.
U2 - 10.1163/156854291X00144
DO - 10.1163/156854291X00144
M3 - Article
SN - 0028-2960
VL - 41
SP - 202
EP - 213
JO - Netherlands Journal of Zoology
JF - Netherlands Journal of Zoology
IS - 2-3
ER -